Effectively Manage Mechanical Integrity using Process Safety Enterprise®

Process Safety Enterprise® (PSE), a cloud-based platform, helps manage mechanical integrity, ensuring compliance with OSHA's PSM standard. This white paper details the key features of PSE, including:

• Document Control System: Easily stores and retrieves documents
• Intelligent Form Builder: Creates customizable forms
• Action Tracking System: Manages all tasks related to mechanical integrity
• Reporting and Dashboard/KPI: Provides real-time insights into activities
• Mechanical Integrity Workflow: Guides users through referencing the relevant equipment form, assigning the Inspection, Testing, or Preventive Maintenance (ITPM) task, approving the request, scheduling the work, entering and reviewing the data, ensuring the next ITPM data is appropriate, scheduling issue resolutions, updating documentation as needed, and closing the workflow.

A case study highlights how PSE and a Mechanical Integrity / Asset Integrity workflow could have helped to prevent this disaster by managing mechanical integrity effectively.

Introduction

Asset Integrity Management (AIM) or Mechanical Integrity (MI) is crucial to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) Process Safety Management (PSM) 29 CFR 1910.119 standard. This element maintains the equipment in the covered process per Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practices (RAGAGEP) and/or manufacturers' recommendations to ensure it is always suitable for the intended use. Businesses often encounter challenges managing an AIM program, as it involves the intricacies of developing and implementing the policies, procedures, and workflows to create and execute Inspection, Testing, and Preventive Maintenance (ITPM) of PSM equipment and track ITPM deficiencies. Tracking recurring ITPM and resolving deficiencies requires considerable time and resources. Overlooking these tasks risks the safety of employees, the plant assets, the community, and the environment. Moreover, an accident could lead to production interruptions.

An effective AIM program should include capturing the design parameters and specifications of PSM equipment and the Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practices (RAGAGEP) used to design the equipment and choose the materials of construction. The manufacturers' operating manual can also identify the required ITPM for equipment bought off-the-shelf (pre-engineered equipment.) A document management system is needed to gather, use, and maintain this important information.

The AIM system should also document the required ITPM and frequencies for the equipment within and in support of the PSM process using the established RAGAGEP and/or manufacturers' recommendations. A workflow works best to document and anticipate the upcoming ITPM, especially for extended shutdowns that require extensive pre-planning. The workflow should specify whether the ITPM can be done with the plant fully functioning, the plant shutdown and energized or de-energized, or the specific equipment de-energized or energized but idle. These distinctions are very important for planning purposes.